News Broadcasting
Sahara does a hat trick of new shows
MUMBAI: After the long lull that followed the launch of Sahara’s supposed big ticket, Karishma – The Miracles of Destiny last year, the channel started the new year with a bang. The Sridevi starrer Malini Iyer and Paresh Rawal’s show Bhagwan Bachaye were launched earlier this month. The third launch from the channel this month is Aroona Irani’s Zameen Se Aassmaan Tak, which has been in the pipeline since October last year.
The serial which has been produced and directed by Aroona Irani was launched with a media conference in Mumbai on Wednesday at the Tulip Star Hotel and will start airing from 2 February.
Among those present were Aroona Irani, her husband Kuku Kohli, Kiran Kumar (who described his role in the serial as the best role he has ever played on television so far) and Sahara senior vice president programming Tripti Sharma.
First and foremost, Irani cleared all doubts that the serial has been inspired from the famous Hindi film Waqt. She said, “This is not true. Waqt is the only Hindi film that was based on an earthquake tragedy. Just because my serial has an earthquake in the story does not mean that my eyes were on Waqt while penning the story of Zameen Se Aassman Tak.”
A still from ‘Zameen Se Aassman Tak’
Zameen Se Aassman Tak which will be aired Mondays to Thursdays at 10 pm, is a family drama; the story of which is somewhat on these lines – An earthquake hits protagonist Balraj Thakur’s (Kiran Kumar) life, he gets separated from his wife (Aroona Irani), and his daughter (Jeevidha of Yeh Dil Aashiqana) is forced to dance in a bar because she has no money to cure the old lady who shelters her. Balraj subsequently marries Meera (Sudha Chandran). Thus, Balraj has two families. Any prizes for guessing that dramatic situations follow between the two families?
In an earlier interview to indiantelevision.com, Irani had said that this serial would see the light of day in September or October 2003. When we asked about the delay, she admitted, “Yes. The serial got delayed by about four months.” But why, we wanted to know. The lady took the blame on herself. “In this serial, I was involved with the story, production, direction and acting. Plus, I am constantly monitoring Des Mein Niklla Hoga Chand and Tum Bin Jaoon Kahan. Being a daily, we wanted to bank at least 60 episodes before flagging off. Hence, the delay.”
To another query by indiantelevision.com whether she found any difference in the style of functioning compared to Zee and Star Plus with whom she has been working for quite some time now, Irani smartly quipped, “Please don’t ask me to differentiate between my three children.”
Come 2 February and we shall know how Irani’s new baby is! Can she reproduce her Midas touch of Des Mein Niklla Hoga Chand? One thing is for sure… Sahara Manoranjan needs it more than Irani.
Besides Aroona Irani, Kiran Kumar, Jeevidha and Sudha Chandran; the other players in the show are Dharmesh Vyas, Noopar, Yash, Satyen Kapoo, Rajiv Paul, Rajeev Verma and Hansika Motwani.
News Broadcasting
Network18 Q4 revenue grows 9.7 per cent, EBITDA at Rs 30 crore
PAT improves to Rs 306.6 crore, margins steady amid cost pressures.
MUMBAI: Not all news is breaking, some of it is quietly improving. Network18 Media & Investments Limited appears to be doing just that, tightening losses and stabilising margins even as costs continue to weigh on the business. For FY26, the company reported revenue from operations of Rs 1,955.1 crore, up from Rs 1,896.2 crore in FY25, signalling modest top-line growth in a challenging media environment. Total income stood at Rs 1,978.2 crore, compared to Rs 1,913 crore a year earlier.
Profit after tax came in at Rs 306.6 crore for the year, a sharp turnaround from Rs 3,225.4 crore in FY25, largely reflecting the absence of large exceptional items that had inflated the previous year’s numbers. On a more comparable basis, the company’s operating performance showed signs of gradual stabilisation.
However, the quarterly picture remained under pressure. For the March quarter, Network18 reported a loss of Rs 53.1 crore, narrower than the Rs 98.1 crore loss in the same period last year, but still indicative of ongoing cost challenges.
Expenses continued to track high. Total expenses for FY26 stood at Rs 2,235.7 crore, up from Rs 2,197.8 crore in FY25. Key cost heads included operational expenses of Rs 765.9 crore, employee benefits of Rs 475.9 crore, and marketing, distribution and promotional spends of Rs 427.1 crore, underlining the continued investment required to sustain reach and engagement.
At an operating level, margins remained under strain. Operating margin stood at 2.33 per cent for FY26, marginally higher than 1.77 per cent in FY25, while net profit margin remained negative at -13.02 per cent, though improved from -14.89 per cent.
On the balance sheet, total assets rose to Rs 8,957.6 crore as of 31 March 2026, from Rs 8,317.5 crore a year earlier. Equity strengthened to Rs 4,958.7 crore, while borrowings increased to Rs 3,112.8 crore, reflecting a higher reliance on debt to support operations.
Cash flows told a mixed story. While financing activities generated Rs 83.9 crore, operating cash flow remained negative at Rs -24 crore, highlighting ongoing pressure on core cash generation. Cash and cash equivalents, however, improved to Rs 33.9 crore from Rs 1.8 crore.
The numbers point to a company in transition growing revenues, trimming losses, but still grappling with structural cost pressures. In a sector where scale often comes at a price, Network18 seems to be inching towards balance, one quarter at a time.
